Influence of humidity on electrical characteristics of self-assembled porous silica low-k films

The influence of humidity on the dielectric constant and leakage current of self-assembled porous silica films which have two-dimensional hexagonal periodic porous structures was investigated quantitatively by proposing a new water adsorption model. The amount of H2O adsorption was calculated by the modified Rayleigh model, where H2O molecules are assumed to be adsorbed on the inner surface of cylindrical porous silica structures and form a dispersal concentric double-layer dielectric cylinder system. The amount of H2O calculated by the proposed model was consistent with the measured dielectric constant and thermogravimetry data. It suggests that inner-surface coverage of the cylindrical porous silica wall with a hydrophobic group is the most effective way to suppress water adsorption. Hexamethyldisilazane as a surface coverage molecule was introduced to the periodic cylindrical porous silica film and the leakage current was suppressed by a factor of 1/100 even below 0.5% relative humidity, resulting in the improvement of time-dependent dielectric breakdown lifetime by a factor of 30. (c) 2005 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.